What classics did you see last week ? (9 Jun- 15 Jun 2019)

So glad the service for your mother was beautiful, and in such a lovely setting. 

As you suggested yourself, our emotional states color how we receive what a film offers, but your evaluation of Forever Darling is one I doubt any change of mood would alter. To begin with, the story was one that reportedly had been kicking around MGM for quite some years, and was rather past its prime by the mid-'50s. Beyond that, it was the final film of director Alexander Hall, among whose several dozen credits only Little Miss Marker and Here Comes Mr. Jordan stand out as memorable.  

Actually only released by MGM, it was produced by Desilu (under the one-time banner of Zanra...Arnaz spelled backward) and was shot at the facility the company used for I Love Lucy, and utilizing a number of that show's creative personnel and crew. Until the film gets to the camping sequences, it doesn't really come to life, otherwise imparting a cut-rate appearance and feel, and the pacing of domestic scenes lacks energy and snap. It's tempting to imagine that the sparkle Vincente Minnelli brought to The Long, Long Trailer would have benefited the enterprise. 

Still, Lucille and Desi are always welcome, and the participation of both Mason and Louis Calhern adds drollery and class.  

     

Ask a Policeman (1939) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0031058/reference 


When the tide runs low in the smugglers cove...
 
Turnbotham Round has no crime, something that becomes common knowledge after a radio programme is broadcast from the village. Upon hearing this broadcast, the top brass at Scotland Yard send word that if there is no crime there, then why employ policemen to police the village? Realising that their good lives are about to come to an end, inept coppers Dudfoot (Will Hay), Brown (Graham Moffatt) and Harbottle (Moore Marriott) set about making some arrests. What they hadn't bargained for was the uncovering of a smuggling ring and the unleashing of the phantom headless horseman.

Much like Will Hay's Good Morning, Boys (1937) followed a similar formula to that of one of his earlier pictures, Boys Will Be Boys (1935), so it be with Ask A Policeman in that it has close links with critics fave, Oh Mr. Porter! (1937). However, that in no way is a bad thing because Ask A Policeman is utter joy from start to finish. In fact I would go so far as to say that the writing is actually better here. With a writing team consisting of Marriott Edgar, Sidney Gilliat, Val Guest and J.O.C. Orton, it's no wonder that the gags come thick and fast and still hold up over 80 years later.

Marcel Varnel once again directs Hay and his blunderingly magnificent sidekicks, Marriott and Moffatt, and each of them are on terrific form as they within a heartbeat lurch from incredulity to stupidity. They are helped by the story and its delightful supernatural set ups. These coppers have been having it easy for so long they have forgotten just what it takes to be a copper. More content with bending the rules for an easy life (note some nice satire in the writing), these guys are suddenly faced with the supernatural and actual real crime. Something they are delightfully unable to properly cope with. From trying to set up a roadside speeding arrest to an attempt at solving an ancient smugglers rhyme, Ask A Policeman, courtesy of an across the board team on fire, is to my mind one of the greatest British films of all time. So pay attention to the jokes and admire the visual comedy that goes with them, and then hopefully you too will appreciate just what genius Hay and his cohorts brought to British comedy between 1936 to 1940. 10/10



The Sea of Grass (1947) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0039806/reference 

Why do women insist on loving men for what they want them to be instead of what they are?

The Sea of Grass is directed by Elia Kazan and written by Conrad Richter, Marguerite Roberts and Vincent Lawrence. It stars Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Walker, Melvyn Douglas, Phyllis Thaxter, Edgar Buchanan and Harry Carey. Music is by Herbert Stothart and cinematography by Harry Stradling.

We are on the America's frontier and St. Louis woman Lutie Cameron (Hepburn) marries New Mexico cattleman Col. James B. 'Jim' Brewton (Tracy). Brewton is seen as a tyrant by the locals and Lutie quickly comes to realise that nothing will stop her husband from driving his plans forward.

For serious Western fans it straight off looks odd seeing the pairing of Tracy and Hepburn in this setting of farmer/rancher feuding, and the pic never quite breaks away from the initial reaction of things being off kilter. In spite of the undoubted quality of the lead actors, this just becomes a raging soap opera. It's never once convincing, the studio bound theatrics becoming an eyesore, and as the run time inexplicably crawls drearily to two hours in length, there's not even any action to perk up proceedings.

This was a rare blip in the filmic career of Kazan, who gives us all a warning when we find that he disowned the film, even saying he was ashamed of it. That's pretty damning evidence that serves notice on why this should be avoided by anyone other than Kazan, Hepburn and Tracy completists. One tends to think that the plot trajectory of Lutie embarrassed him, for without doubt it's offensive to womanhood, the finale only confirming this in a whirl of smugness not becoming the stars and director. It's a nicely enough produced production, with Stradling's smooth photography sparkling due to HD screenings via TCM, but as the script struggles to enact vibrancy, so shall you struggle to stay awake. 4/10


Clash by Night (1952) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0044502/reference

Jerry's the salt of the earth, but he's not the right seasoning for you. 
 
Clash by Night is directed by Fritz Lang and adapted to screenplay by Alfred Hayes from the play written by Clifford Odets. It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan and Marilyn Monroe. Music is by Roy Webb and cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca.

Tis a tale of stilted raw passions, frustrations and wrong decisions that unfurl in a California seacoast fishing town. Essentialy it finds Stanwyck as Mae Doyle who returns to her home town fishing village of Menterey, Calif. She's bitter and unfullfilled and marries the amiable but not very bright Jerry D'Amato (Douglas) in spite of both their better judgements. With her being inexplicably drawn to Jery's woman hating friend, Earl (Ryan), and her brother Joe (Andes) fretting that his sister Peggy (Monroe) will be corrupted by Mae's bitterness, it's a hotbed of character fallibilities.

To my mind It's all very stagy and a little too overwrought, and frustrating given that the themes within the play looked to be perfect for the great Fritz Lang. Not that it's either a stinker or a critical bomb (like the play itself), it isn't, it's just too soap opera to fully ignite the thematics at the core of the story. On the flip side, aside from Douglas' awful histrionic laden peformance, the acting is top notch. You may not care about these characters but you can't be anything but very involved and hang on to see what will happen to them all. Dialogue is a plus point, resplendent with barbs and choiceisms, while although the also great Musuraca is not in is chirascuro element, there's enough atmospheric photography - particularly when story plays out at the docks setting - to catch the eyes with mood compliance. Unfortunately the unconvicing sets are matched by the wholly unconvincing and disappointing finale.

Just above average and lower tier fare on the CV's of Lang, Ryan and Stanwyck, it does however serve notice of what promise Monroe had. If only she could have been led the right way by genuine people. See this if only for Monroe's sprightly turn. 6/10


Border River (1954) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0046800/reference

Free Zone and the Quicksand Quandaries! 
 
Border River is directed by George Sherman and written by William Sackheim and Louis Stevens. It stars Joel McCrea, Yvonne De Carlo, Pedro Armendariz, Alfonso Bedoya and Howard Petrie. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Irving Glassberg.

During the war between Maximillian and Juarez in 1865, there was a small territory on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River known as Zona Libre - - - "Free Zone". It was dominated by a man who called himself General Eduardo Calleja and he made it a haven for any man outside of the law. This is the story of Zona Libre.

The above statement that opens the pic is actually a bit of a lie since the film is a story that operates out of Zona Libre. It essentially finds McCrea as a Confederate soldier who has hidden stolen gold bullion in the territory. He then sets about keeping it safe in readiness for the buying of Henry Repeater rifles to aid the Confederacy in keeping the Civil War on going. Naturally there are plenty of folk in Zona Libre interested in finding out where the gold is stashed...

"Never saw a Southern boy yet didn't have a lily sprouting out of his liver"

Utterly frustrating piece of Western genre film making. We have a top draw premise on the page - where a hot bed of a neutral area inhabited by crooks and various Civil War(s) operatives operate - is not brought about for fire cracker ignition. Screenplay is more concerned with putting McCrea's Clete Mattson through the standard formula tropes of protecting gold from others, whilst courting the attention of the local beauty. Even more galling from a wasted opportunity point of view is that this is one of those rare occasions where the film is siding with the Southern protagonist. Any genre fan will tell you that it's nice to have some Civil War balance once in a while...

Annoyance is further enhanced by just how spiffing the tech credits are for this production. Irving Glassberg often came up with quality when asked to be the cinematographer of choice in various Western entries, and so is the case here where he tantalises the eyes as the Utah locales boom in Technicolour. So to with the costuming (Joan Joseff) of De Carlo, who has not only never looked so ravishing in attractiveness prior to 1954, but also with Glassberg's colour lenses her dressage becomes scintillating.

Action only fluctuates, again annoying since Sherman knows how to stage a good action set piece, and when McCrea is your leading man in a Western then you should be making hay while the sun shines. Sadly, great set pieces are in short supply, though McCrea once again proves what a great punch thrower he was. Highlight has to be a sequence where McCrea and his stunt horse land in quicksand (a critical narrative device in fact), the subsequent fight from man and beast to escape is quality - as is McCrea's (a bona fide horseman in real life) response to the equine post the sequence.

In the mix there is Armendariz and Bedoya seemingly in a contest to see who can outdo each other in the over acting stakes, which is actually fun and one of the plus points in the production. Which leaves us with what?. Well as a Western lover I just love many facets of the production on show, so much so I couldn't rate it below average. On the flip side, however, I couldn't remotely recommend it to genre fans in confidence, the proviso being that the writers should have been rounded up and fired upon by the Henry Repeaters in the play. 6/10


Dunkirk (1958) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0051565/reference

It may be a phoney war to you, but it's not to all the blokes at sea. Never has been.

Dunkirk is directed by Leslie Norman and adapted to screenplay by David Divine and W.P. Lipscomb. It stars John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Bernard Lee, Robert Urquhart, Ray Jackson and Robert Hines. Music is by Malcolm Arnold and cinematography by Paul Beeson.

"Dunkirk was a great defeat, and a great miracle. It proved, if it proved anything, that we were alone but undivided. No longer were there fighting men and civilians. There were only people. A nation had been made whole"

I think it's safe to say that to fully "get" this version of Dunkirk it helps to have some knowledge of the actual events. This is no standard war film, more so given it's about a defeat and the subsequent extraction of the armed forces from the beaches of that part of France.

Narrative is two fold, one strand follows soldiers as they strive to make it through perilous lands to get to the beaches, the other comes from the civilian angle and those back in Britain, where there's an ignorance about how seismic this war is going to be. While the film is hardly a rousing battle laden spectacle - it's more an appreciation of a critical moment in history - it's very authentic in its teaching, the various human interest stories and their respective emotions are absorbing and always attention holding.

Absolutely a must see piece of cinema for anyone who needs to understand just why the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk was so important. Superbly played by the cast, directed with safe hands and produced with class by the brilliant Michael Balcon, Dunkirk 58 a smart bit of classic war cinema. 8/10


King Kong (1976) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0074751/reference

No, you're dead wrong. He was the terror, the mystery of their lives, and the magic.

1976. I had already been spellbound and terrified by Jaws the year previously, I mean I was only 10 years old. Having been introduced by my film loving parents to the original King Kong from 1933, as soon as this update - in colour - was released, I stood in that queue for two hours to see it. I was spellbound once again, absolutely loved it, telling everyone in school or on the playing fields how great the experience was. Those things never leave you, it's love of cinema with youthful eyes, and none of us should ever decry those moments as being ignorance.

Much later in life, watching this reworking of the Kong story becomes a battle to not extinguish those youthful fires. For now you can see just how poor the effects are, in fact just how much of a cheat (through research) that uber producer Dino De Laurentiis was as he put this onto the screen. Conversely, though, you can now see just how adult much of it was. The pic is full of sexual connotations and imagery. I mean look at Jessica Lange's first scene, she is introduced in a wet dress with erectus nippleus in full effect. I didn't remember that as a 10 year old boy...

There's some smart era concerns in the narrative, fuels, discrimination etc, and for sure the array of characters on show are 1970s intelligent. Hell! even the change to helicopter attacks instead of aeroplanes for the finale deserves respect - with the added sombre setting of the WTC twin towers now more attention grabbing - yet it's hard to get away from just how poor the production is. So as we may still shed a tear as the giant beast is felled by his love for a beauty, and we curse mankind for just not leaving him on his island, this is still poor film making that comes close to shattering fond memories of the young movie lovers back in 1976. 5/10


Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0311113/reference

For England, for home, and for the prize!

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is directed by Peter Weir, it stars Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey and Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin. It is spliced from various novels in the Aubrey–Maturin series written by Patrick O'Brian. The film takes place during 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars and finds Captain Jack Aubrey and the crew of British frigate HMS Surprise ordered to intercept, destroy or take as a prize the French privateer Acheron. But the Acheron (The Phantom as the crew of the Surprise call her) is no ordinary ship, and her Captain is smart. So Lucky Jack has his work cut out; not only in the pursuit of the Acheron, but in harmonising the crew under his command. Especially his loyal and trusting friend Stephen.

It's pretty evident within the first few minutes of Master & Commander that this is no standard blockbuster naval based war movie. If you are after, or was expecting, a wave to wave Bruckheimer carnage a-like piece, well you best, or should have, stay(ed) away. For this is a Peter Weir movie, in fact this is a Peter Weir "period" movie, where attention to details and character dynamics are the order of the day. There's battle action here for sure, beginning and end, and terrific they are too. As first cannonballs crack and splinter its targets (note the sound work here), and later as blade meets blade; it's exhilarating stuff alright. But this is more interested in palpable tension, both on deck and on the waves. Threat is never far away, again, this is is covered by the impending duel with the Acheron and Aubrey's tactical pursuit/escape of her. While the crew give us a series of character dramas to involve us in the make up of a man-o-war's personnel. How different classes and males (there's not one female in the film) of all ages have to work together as one efficient unit in order to survive and triumph. Except for an interlude spent on the lusciously filmed Galapagos Island (Russell Boyd Best Cinematography Academy Award Winner), the film is set 99% of the time out at sea, on a cramped ship, this tells you that Weir is interested in telling a character driven story, cloaked in realism, above all else.

The teaming of Weir with the highly rated O'Brian material looked a good one, and to someone like me who has never read an O'Brian novel? It is. But many of O'Brian's fans have been upset by either the stuff missing in the film, the stuff put in to fully form Weir's vision of the characters, or for Crowe not being Pugwashy enough. These complaints were inevitable since they come with practically every adaptation of novels these days. It should be noted, tho, that Weir was very much a fan of O'Brian, and in fact always felt inspired by the tight intricate detail of his writings. What of the author himself? Well he passed away three years before the film was released, but he had always envisaged Charlton Heston for the role of Aubrey. So, who in the modern era comes closest to Heston's physical presence on screen. Why Russell Crowe of course. Who not only brings that to the character, but also depth, because Aubrey comes with many traits. Strength, honour, stubbornness, leadership and loyalty are a given for a Captain on the high seas. But Aubrey is also vulnerable, self aware, playful, knows his limitations and able to laugh at himself. Crowe peels off each layer and delivers a high quality performance; from our first encounter with Crowe as Aubrey, the realism so loved by Weir is given a shot in the arm; and it stays throughout the movie.

An excellent piece of casting then, as is that of Paul Bettany as ships surgeon, science and nature lover, and best pal of the Captain, Stephen Maturin. Bettany & Crowe had formed a friendship on 2001s A Beautiful Mind. Where their on screen chemistry lifted an already fine film, to an even better one. So it be here too. Stephen & Jack's relationship is the core of the piece. Two very different men yet as tight as two peas in a pod, with Stephen serving as the code breaker for the audience as sea talk and tactical intrigue weaves in and out of the story. It's there where Bettany excels, for he not only has us believing in this warm (platonic) friendship, he's also got us rooting for him since he is in essence the odd man out on this ship. Our sympathy is firmly with him, our friendly rebel if you please. Of the rest there's note worthy turns from Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy & Edward Woodall, while Lee Ingleby gives a really heartfelt and emotionally engaging turn as Hollom.

The film is not without flaws, tho. The pace of the piece does slip from time to time, while the talky middle section may stretch the patience of some. And the film isn't long enough to give the main characters some back story for the audience to work off. But it's still a great movie. Ripe with intelligence and interesting characterisations: and boasting enough adrenalin, humour and upset to fill out a big budgeted 1950s historical epic. Get on board folks, this is quality film making. 9/10


Done!

School Spirit (1985)

Boring, unfunny trash.



Black Mama White Mama (1973)

Pam Grier kicking ass in the 70's, great retro fun!



Apostle (2018)

Uh...where the heck did this movie come from?

I put this on because of Michael Sheen and was hoping for some slightly creepy, weird little thriller to pass the time. Instead, I got more than I thought I would. A real pleasant surprise, it develops into a great horror tale.



The man with what looks like a bee hive on his head is an awesome new horror creation!



It seems like a jambalaya of The Wicker Man, The Witch and a little dash of Shyamalan's The Village. But it has it's own story to tell, one I won't spoil here. There are some shocking moments of gore for those horror fans who appreciate some inventive bloody scenes. There's also a great mystery behind it all, slightly different than what we're used to, or what I expected. Loved that final shot!



Last Night (1998)

Sandra Oh spends her last night on Earth at a convenience store in Toronto, only to have her car stolen. A few other Canadian faces populate this tale. It's interesting but not mind blowing.



Bad Manners (1984) a.k.a. Growing Pains

One of those 80's movies I didn't get to see back then, only now. Probably would have appreciated it more then. Some orphan brats on the run. Not that funny, but the dated slang makes it funny. The ridiculous ending might seem happy, but then what? They went on to become homeless street people?



Adventures in Public School (2017)

A Canadian movie about a home-schooled kid who tries out public school and likes it. The awkward mother/son relationship was borderline creepy, but otherwise an okay movie.



Silent Fall (1994)

Richard Dreyfuss plays a shink helping an autistic boy whose parents got murdered. Linda Hamilton as the wife has almost no role whatsoever. Liv Tyler's movie debut. The young actor playing the boy is amazing, but he never had another role in anything ever again.



Bunny the Killer Thing (2015)

A man is bitten by a rabbit undergoing experimental injections and becomes a murdering and raping were-rabbit.

I mean, who could not watch a movie like that!



This movie is what I would call disturbingly hilarious. Things get quite out of hand, and there are very few photos I can share here without getting blocked from this site.

If you appreciate shocking and funny horror, you will like this movie. I had a great time laughing at it.



Ocean's Eight (2018)

Was looking forward to this one, and it's not bad at all, but it's not great either, it's just average. Plays it a bit safe. Love that cast though.



Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2016)

What is it with me and the school movies this week? Guess it's because it's June and school's out. Whatever. This movie was fun, then takes a slightly morbid twist and turn near the end, but still, I would recommend it. Definitely would have loved it when I was a kid.



Yes, I did watch five, yes FIVE movies about chipmunks!

The Chipmunk Adventure (1987)



Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)



Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009)



Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011)



Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015)



Clinical (2017)

Could have been quite Hitchcockian if they had only tried a little harder. Starts off great but gets less great later on.



The Birth of a Nation (1915)

What a hate-fueled movie this was. Too bad, because it obviously had a great impact on the way movies were made afterwards, cinematically speaking.



The Birth of a Nation (2016)

Well told tale from the other point of view from the 1915 movie. My enjoyment was ruined by the fact that Nate Parker was accused of sexual assault in real life, meanwhile, his movie character's rage is fueled by his wife's rape. Yikes!



Halloween (2018)

Yeah, I watched it again, and discovered new things about it while I did. The sequel we always wanted but didn't get until now.



Till next time, have a great movie week!

The Longest Day (1962)



Of course, Turner Classic Movies ran this great film on 6/6, but I didn't get around to watching it (my sister thoughtfully recorded it) until several days later. I found it wonderfully inspirational, exciting, informative, and often very moving. Saddest moment: the paratroopers who missed their planned landing area and came down in the middle of the town of St. Mère Eglise--most of them being shot and killed before they hit the ground. My only major criticism relates to casting: I could have done without some of that era's teen heartthrobs--notably Fabian, Paul Anka (who was probably given his small role as a courtesy for having also composed the stirring theme), and Tommy Sands. I exempt Sal Mineo from that disapproval, because he could actually act (as he had proved in such films as Rebel Without a Cause and Exodus). 9.5/10.

Two Weeks With Love (1950)



A sweet--though never saccharine--family musical featuring songs popular approximately forty years before its release date. Don't be misled by the pic I selected: TWWL is filmed in glorious Technicolor (though probably not in Stereophonic sound, and definitely not in breathtaking Cinemascope--fans of a later MGM musical, Silk Stockings, will recognize that reference ), and the sets and costumes are lovely, like something out of a greeting card circa 1910. Jane Powell is adorable as always; the young Ricardo Montalban is courtly and debonair (they dance together simply divinely); Ann Harding and Louis Calhern are charming as the parents but the scene-stealers are Debbie Reynolds (as Jane's kid sister) and Carleton Carpenter (as Jane's would-be wooer and Debbie's friend and potential boyfriend). Their standout duet is the famous "Abba-Dabba Honeymoon". A lot of gentle, not too sentimental, old-fashioned fun. 8.5/10

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)


James Stewart was nominated for Best Actor for his incandescent portrayal of a naive, but completely honest, corruption-free, idealistic young man appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. He wuz robbed, I tell yuh, robbed! 10/10

Destry Rides Again (1939)


Another James Stewart gem from that mother of all classic movie years, 1939. This iconic Western became known for being, among other things, the movie that saved Marlene Dietrich's career and removed her stigma as "box office poison". Although she (as fiery dance-hall star, Frenchy) and Stewart (as Destry) have some great scenes together, particularly the climactic moment , there are many other pleasures to enjoy here. One of my favorite comic sequences is the one between Lily Belle (Una Merkel) and Boris (Mischa Auer), in which the latter finally asserts his true identity. As ever, Brian Donlevy makes a wonderful villain you love to hate. 9.5/10.

Hi WMC,how did you find the horror slap-stick of Tucker & Dale to be (I was surprised to learn that it sat on the shelf for 3 years.) 

The Day of the Jackal is grown ups cinema!

Chacal. 

The Day of the Jackal is directed by Fred Zinnerman and adapted to screenplay by Kenneth Ross from the novel of the same name written by Frederick Forsyth. It stars Edward Fox, Michael Lonsdale, Terence Alexander, Michel Auclair, Alan Badel, Tony Britton and Denis Carey. Music is by Georges Delerue and cinematography by Jean Tournier.

As the French political climate reaches boiling point over the Algeria situation, underground organisation the OAS plot to have President Charles de Gaulle assassinated. When an attempt fails the OAS members not caught are exiled in Vienna and decide that bringing in an outsider to kill the President is now the best way forward. That outsider is an Englishman, code name The Jackal, a methodically cunning and deadly assassin.

Wonderful, the kind of character driven thriller that has become in short supply over the last couple of decades. It’s all so simple, even sedate, yet this calm approach serves the plotting perfectly. After the initial set ups we follow The Jackal (a super icy turn by Fox) on his mission to kill General de Gaul. His planning, the people he meets, and the people he has to kill to stay one step ahead of the authorities. From cons to weapon smuggling, to disguises and sexual encounters, it’s thoroughly compelling from Jackal’s story arc alone, but the frequent shifts to the hunt for him by a whole ream of suits and detectives is also gripping and suspenseful viewing.

Backing Fox up is a raft quality performers, a cast very much in tune with the material to hand. Delure’s musical composition is purposely of the minimalist breed, Tournier’s photography is period compliant and smooth, while Ralph Kemplen’s excellent editing was rightly nominated for an Academy Award. Zinnerman does sterling work from the director’s chair, amazingly keeping a two and half hour movie free of extraneous scenes or pointless exposition. Everything is relative, it really is a film to stay focussed with, to give it respect by giving it your undivided attention. So go the bathroom before sitting down to view this truly great and smart thriller. 9/10

Casino Royle. As a Bond aficionado it was one of the joys of the last decade, I was one of the hundreds shuffling in to the theatre nervous about a new era of Bond - we needn't have worried.

Arrogance and self-awareness seldom go hand in hand.

Casino Royale is directed by Martin Campbell and adapted by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade & Paul Haggis from a story written by Ian Fleming. It stars Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright & Giancarlo Giannini. It's the 21st film in the James Bond franchise.

Plot finds Craig as Bond, newly promoted to 00 status, he is thrust into the murky world of high financed terrorism.

One of the hardest series of films to get right, with some of the most committed of fans, is that of the James Bond series. To wit, there will never ever be a Bond film that will appease every fan across the board. The complaints will range from not enough gadgets, too far removed from Fleming's essence, not serious enough and vice a versa: too darn serious. Then there is the usual round of arguments concerning the leading man stepping into the tuxedo, for every Bond fan ready to fight to the death in the name of Sean Connery, I'll find you another prepared to back Timothy Dalton's take on the Martini swigging legend. Once it became clear that Pierce Brosnan had run his course as Bond, bowing out with the super silly Die Another Day in 2002, the pressure for any new Bond, both the actor and the makers, was immense. 2006 and time had moved on, and we live in different cinema times, spy movies are a different breed to what went before, The Bourne Identity had raised the bar. The news filtered thru that Bond was to be rebooted and that Daniel Craig was the man to be Bond. The howls of derision could be heard from as far as the tropical locations so in keeping with a James Bond plot. Too Blonde, too craggy faced, not tall enough, and why reboot a much loved franchise anyway? It was war and the heat was turned up to full.

Casino Royale still has its critics, but as majorities go as regards a Bond film, this one has the biggest sway. Sure, the Daniel Craig haters will not be bowed, they can't after all lose face after such a vitriolic campaign against his casting, but few, I suspect, can seriously deny Casino Royale is not a magnificent Bond movie. Just a peak at the Worldwide box office figures shows you how well received it was, making nearly $600 million, those are figures that do not lie. The truth is that Casino Royale has almost everything you could wish for from a Bond movie, and a little more. Gorgeous locations, beautiful women and reams of action; where, the stunt department reach new heights. It's also refreshingly in keeping with Fleming's original story, only major difference here is that the makers have upgraded it to a post 9/11 world. There's nods to traditional franchise staples, whilst also neatly streamlining some of the previous film's comedy scene fillers. Smart villain too, Mads Mikkelsen's Le Chiffre, complete with creepy eye issue and loyal girlfriend, is a villain not trying to blow up the world because he's mad, but trying to outwit Bond to stay alive! That's great stuff that keeps a Bond thriller alive and well.

But for all the energy and pyrotechnics (there's enough in this one film to have filled half a dozen of previous Bond entries), a Bond film can only succeed if the leading man is up to scratch. Thankfully, and joyously, Craig nails it, both in physicality, swagger and raw egotistical aggression. More telling is that Craig's Bond is more human that what we are used too, at one time suave and appearing unruffled, the next, bruised battered and emotionally conflicted. This is a new and rounded Bond, given impetus by Craig's powerful presence. He is helped by Eva Green putting brains and slinkiness into Vesper Lynd, a Bond girl to turn Bond's head in a way not seen since Diana Rigg's Tracy di Vicenzo in OHMSS. Though one of the film's rare missteps is to under write the part. Felix Leiter also gets a quality tune up in the form of Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench's M kicks arse and Giancarlo Giannini adds a touch of continental class as Bond's Montenegro contact René Mathis. Layered over the top is a nifty score by David Arnold, blending traditional Bond flavours with high energy bursts and Phil Meheux's photography brings optical delights in the Bahamas, Czech Republic and Italy.

Opening with the best chase sequence in the whole franchise and closing with an ultimate Bond moment, this is reboot supreme. It's high energy with intelligent humanistic smarts and Bond is back: blonder, brutal and most assuredly better. 9/10

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. I had to really be coerced into watching it, I just didn't fancy it as it sounded like a cheap formula knock-off. I ended up laughing my head off!

Bloody and Bloody Hilarious. 

Tucker & Dale vs Evil is directed by Eli Craig who also co-writes the screenplay with Morgan Jurgenson. It stars Alan Tudyk, Tyler Labine, Katrina Bowden and Jesse Moss. Music is by Michael Shields and Andrew Kaiser and cinematography by David Geddes. Plot has Tudyk and Labine as two harmless mountain/country men who head to their newly acquired vacation home in the woods to fix it up and get some R & R. But after a misunderstanding at a roadside store with some college kids, who think Tucker & Dale are hillbilly psychopaths, the wheels are set in motion for a bloody battle for survival, but who for?!

In 1996 Scream came slashing forward to inject witty life into a fading horror genre, with freshness and inventive splinters from the slasher formula, Wes Craven's movie rocked the horror faithful's world. Tucker & Dale vs Evil will not have the same impact, its limited release and low budget worth ensured it never had a chance of being a big thing, but still it's the freshest horror/comedy to have come out since Scream made its bloody bow at the box office.

It's such a simple idea at the core, you have to wonder why it wasn't thought of before? Craig and Jurgenson have flipped the age old Hillbilly Killers vs Preppy College Kids idea on its head, and in the process smothered it gleefully with dark humour, laugh out loud moments and inventive deaths. There's also some social comedy nestled nicely in the narrative, big points about first impressions and ideas of stereotypes, and hell yes! There's even an opposites attract arc - though that admittedly helps to bog the picture down as the central joke premise runs out of steam towards the end. In fact were it not for a relatively sloppy finale, this would surely be falling into sub-genre classic status. Thankfully all that comes before it is so full of vim and vigour, blood and bluff and fun and frolics, it's not hard to forgive the debut director his one misstep.

The neat trick is having the film unfold from the Hillbillies viewpoint, where the carnage that unspools gets increasingly difficult for them to explain, this in spite of their innocence. Each death is logical to the college kids who go on the attack when one of their number, they think, is kidnapped. And it's logical to us the audience as well, were it not for us being privy to these wonderfully funny sequence of events, we too would have them hung, drawn and quartered after a guilty verdict was reached in 10 seconds. This is the ultimate horror/comedy flip-flop movie. So many funny sequences light up the picture, with a chainsaw scene one of the finest moments to have ever graced a horror comedy movie, but the dialogue, too, is not found wanting in the fun and charming department. Cast are on top form, with Tudyk & Labine a most agreeable double act, where their comedy timing is impeccable, and Bowden & Moss are more than just pretty faces.

Craig (Sally Field's son) has started with a bang, if he can top this then he is a name to really get excited about. If he can't top it? Well he will at least always have one of the best horror comedy movies on his CV. Yes it's that good, fans of Scream, Severance, Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland should seek it out post haste. 8.5/10

The Nice Guys. Shane Black back on neo-noir form, I love it.

Waltons, Poronography, Tricky Dicky, Hitler, Equanimity, Bumble Bees ... And Stuff!

The Nice Guys is directed by Shane Black and Black co-writes the screenplay with Anthony Bagarozzi. It stars Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling and Angourie Rice. Music is by John Ottman and David Buckley and cinematography by Philippe Rousselot.

1977 Los Angeles and a private detective and a muscle for hire enforcer wind up on the same case looking for a missing girl. Can opposites really attract? More importantly, can they survive not just the perils of a case that gets murkier the longer it goes on? But also each other?

I don't care if Colonel Mustard did it in the study with a candlestick. I just wanna know who he did it with and get the pictures.

How wonderful to have had Shane Black back in his comfort zone and producing such a joyful buddy buddy neo-noir of considerable substance. It was eleven years since the superb Kiss Kiss Bang Bang had reminded us that Black had few peers when it came to blending high action macho twosomes who are also armed with sharp tongues to match, this was after all the guy who also penned Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout. The idea for The Nice Guys had sat in gestation for a number of years, finally it was unleashed to reward fans of his work and for those in sync with the style of film making he homages.

Much like his other buddy scriptings, we are in the company of two mismatched guys. Gosling's ex-cop Holland March is a bit goofy, afraid of the sight of blood and morally bankrupt. Crowe's muscle for hire Jackson Healy beats people up for money, but he's a stand-up guy, likes his pet fish, even has a hero streak. What binds them together is troubled family baggage, that they are both men in search of a better world, to be better men themselves, and thus Black - to give them a chance of life improvement - pitches them into the seamy underbelly of the L.A. pornography industry - with some corruption elsewhere thrown into the equation.

As a coupling March and Healy prove to be a riot. Crowe is menacing and funny with it, Gosling is affably flaky but charm personified, and thankfully both men have a knack for visual comedy (see Gosling's Lou Costello homage and Crowe's reaction to a henchman's act of fish murder). Crucially both actors can deliver killer lines, which is an absolute must for a Shane Black inspired production, for here there is never any let up, zingers are unbound. Then there is Rice (superb and actually the third lead in the play) as March's 13 year old daughter, she's got youthful zest and a killer matter of fact skill in reacting smartly to the two men currently dominating her life.

The L.A. of the 70s is expertly designed, all blink blink blinkity blink neon lighting, side-burns and disco music, dubious fashions and protest groups protesting about the most mundane of things. Then you got the pornography angle, the 70s a hot-bed (no pun intended) for the sex sells profiteers, the perfect setting for Black to trawl through it all in noir clobber. As a noir piece it has it all, femme fatales, thugs, conspiracies, voice overs and an array of colourfully odd characters (excitable and troubling henchmen, a porno Pinocchio, a young lad willing to flash the contents of his underpants for cash!). And of course there's mysteries to be solved and rocks to be upturned, all of which is played out in a whirl of stylish violence, situational comedy and fluid camera work.

Black kind of wants it all, to stay cool whilst having wry observations on the Americana of the era, and he enjoys going close to the knuckle when he can, which to some (not me) will come off as a shock value humour tactic just to ruffle feathers. It's also a minor itch that he sort of snatches from his previous works in search of reassurance - note for instance the similarities between the opening to Lethal Weapon and here with The Nice Guys. But itches be damned, so much fun and hidden dramatic depth on show here, a real treasure that makes you wish Black would stroll down neo-noir lane a bit more often. Don't believe me? Then may Richard Nixon come after you the next time you go for a swim in the pool! 9/10

Criss Cross. Prime film noir.

I should have been a better friend. I shoulda stopped you.

Criss Cross is directed by Robert Siodmak and adapted by Daniel Fuchs from Don Tracy's novel. It stars Burt Lancaster, Yvonne de Carlo, Dan Duryea and Stephen McNally. Music is scored by Miklós Rózsa and cinematography is by Franz Planer.

Steve Thompson (Lancaster) and old flame Anna (de Carlo) begin to rekindle their love, much to the dismay of those closest to Steve. She's now unhappily married to mobster Slim Dundee (Duryea), they plan to run away together but Slim is apparently getting wise to their affair. When the two are caught together by Slim, Steve quickly concocts a story that they were plotting an armoured-truck robbery that he wants Dundee to be involved in. Slim notes it's near impossible, but with Steve working for the armoured-truck company it opens the way for inside man possibilities. It deviates suspicion on the lovers, but this is only the start of their problems, for nothing is as it seems.

Criss Cross has come to be a favourite of many a film noir purist, a picture often held forward as one of the shining lights of the 1940's noir universe. But it so easily could have been so different given that the film's original producer, Mark Hellinger, suddenly died of a heart attack. The film under Hellinger's guidance was to be based around a racetrack heist, but with Hellinger's passing the project dropped into limbo and was sold off to Universal along with Lancaster and Siodmak as part of the deal. Although Lancaster was unhappy with the rewritten plot, his relationship with Siodmak had already been cemented three years earlier when they made The Killers, another of film noir's greatest triumphs. For Criss Cross, Siodmak, Fuchs and producer Michael Kraike took Tracy's novel and combined it with elements of The Killers (an Ernest Hemmingway short story). Ava Gardner wasn't on hand to reprise her Killers femme fatale performance, while Shelley Winters was considered but not offered the role that eventually went to de Carlo, who had worked with Lancaster previously on tough as nails prison movie, Brute Force (1947). Rounding out the link between the three protagonists comes with Duryea, he and de Carlo had made Black Bart & River Lady in 1948.

Alls well that ends well, figuratively speaking, because Criss Cross is a superb movie, one that begs to be re-watched whenever possible. All the classic traits of film noir are evident, both technically and narratively. The film begins with a portentous swirl of music from Rózsa, which in turn leads us into a dramatic aerial view of night time Los Angeles. From there we descend towards a parking lot and become witness to an illicit romance between Steve & Anna. At the film's finale we again will be the only witness' to their coupling, only this time it has a kicker, out shot being that Criss Cross is bookended by sheer brilliance. Obsession, betrayal and inescapable fate pervade the narrative from the moment we the audience are clued in to the history of Steve, Anna and Slim. As the tale unfolds in flashback there is a constant sense of feverish doom lingering in the air, aided considerably by Planer's evocative lighting set-ups and Siodmak's wonderful gliding camera and clinical framing compositions of the characters. Even the perky action high point of the robbery comes laced with smoggy gloom, the chaotic sequence only serving as a precursor to the present, where a hospital and a mirror shift us tonally back to the world of unease. And then the finale, one of the most bleakest, and therefore essential, ending in film noir history.

Cast are excellent, Lancaster, all square jawed and square shouldered, plays obsessed loser better than most, thanks in no small part to Siodmak's direction of him. Duryea does what he does best, playing a villain with oily verve and smirky menace, while de Carlo looks great and offers up a nice blend of sweet and rough, a different kind of femme fatale, the actress earning her acting stripes during "that" finale. In the main support slot, McNally impacts well with what he's given to do, and there's good value in the criminal ranks where Alan Napier lurks as the mastermind behind the robbery. Look out, too, for Tony Curtis, who is seen in a cameo dancing seductively with de Carlo at the Round-Up Bar. Also worth mentioning are the Los Angeles locales used for the shoot, mostly at night we get Bunker Hill, Angels Flight and Union Station. It's sad to report that Bunker Hill, a favourite spot for noir directors, was raised to the ground in the 60's

An obvious bedfellow to The Killers for sure, but even on its own terms it's essential film noir viewing for those of that persuasion. 9/10

I bet these Indy films sparkle on Blu-ray? I absolutely adore my DVD box set and have never been tempted to double dip for the Blu-ray set, but I'm getting tempted by the month!


Temple of Doom. I think it's better thought of these days.

Spielberg on devilishly OTT form! 

Prior to the long mooted and eventual release of part 4, Temple Of Doom was often thought of as the weakest part of the series, yet it actually appears to me to be maturing nicely with age. With honest appraisal I see the only crime that Temple Of Doom can be charged with is is not being as good as Raiders Of The Lost Ark. But since few films can match that movie's classic status I find it churlish to do the second film down for it.

Temple Of Doom is a frenetic roller-coaster ride, full of enough crash bang wallop fit to grace any action adventure in the history of cinema. The set pieces are pure outrageous fun; life raft escape from a crashing plane, mine cart thrill ride & a bridge sequence that is pure boys own brilliance. And while the film finds Spielberg cramming the action with a darkly sinister streak (hence the PG13 rating), we find that the fun still far outweighs any horror that junior viewers might get from certain scenes.

The film also finds Ford giving his best performance as Indiana Jones since the plot calls for a more humane Jones. In fine physical shape, his witty interplay with Short Round is coupled with a textured feel of friendship that plays real well up on the screen. Kate Capshaw was always going to struggle to get close to Karen Allen's wonderful turn as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders, for where Marion was feisty and tough, Capshaw's Willie Scott is more scare-d-cat and reliant on Indy's guile to save her from peril, but she does OK and looks gorgeous into the bargain.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was a massive hit at the box-office and firmly bought Spielberg the time to then go out and make two dramas in Empire of the Sun (1987) & The Color Purple (1985). He would then return with the third Indiana film to finish what was then a marvellous trilogy; of which Temple Of Doom is the prime piece of meat in the delightful (original) trilogy sandwich. 8.5/10

Last Crusade. It is undeniably a Raiders re-tread, but so what! In fact the more I watch it the closer it gets to being my favourite of the series...

Raiders Of The Last Crusade.

Indiana Jones teams up with his father to try and locate the Holy Grail. Something that the Nazis are again particularly interested in themselves.

We didn't know it at the time, but every Indiana Jones fan on the planet presumed that The Last Crusade was to be the final film to feature the intrepid archaeologist. As it turned out, another film would surface in 2008, but casting that aside (as many would like to do), Last Crusade should, and is, judged as the trilogy closer it was meant to be. 

In 1988 Steven Spielberg was deep into bringing Rain Man to fruition, all thoughts of Indiana Jones had gone by the wayside with the harshly judged part two, Temple Of Doom. In stepped George Lucas to politely remind Spielberg that they had an agreement to make another Indiana Jones picture, Spielberg no doubt obliged and humble, passed on his Rain Man work to Barry Levinson who promptly bagged himself an Oscar for the film. It can be guessed that Spielberg was probably grouchy around this period, but he needn't have worried, because The Last Crusade provided a much needed hit for not only himself (post Empire Of The Sun), but also Lucas (Willow) and Harrison Ford (Frantic). 

I mention the run up to this picture because it explains a lot on why the film is pretty much a retread of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, something that some detractors find unforgivable. Yet Last Crusade is still an immensely enjoyable adventure picture, with Spielberg proving that he was still capable of a popcorn bonanza. Using the Raiders formula and moving away from the dark flourishes of Temple Of Doom, Last Crusade is actually the simplest film of the three, but still it manages, courtesy of a sparkling casting decision, to become the most entertaining of the original trilogy. Is it better than Raiders? Of course not, but it positively rips along with sparky dialogue and an agenda of cliffhanging suspense like the adventure films of yore. 

In comes Sean Connery as Dr Jones Senior, and its the picture's trump card, because the magnificent interplay and obvious rapport with Ford (cool as a cucumber) is there for all to see. It's this what drives the film on through the more mundane and picture filler sequences, showcasing two top wily professionals with care and consideration to their craft. The casting of Alison Doody as the main female is a poor one, and one only has to look at her subsequent career post Crusade to see she wasn't up to the task here. Bonus comes in the form of the River Phoenix prologue, Phoenix as the young Indiana paves the way for the jaunty path that Crusade takes, whilst simultaneously giving us a nice little back story from which to launch the adventure. 

Made for $48 million, the film went on to gross $474,171,806 Worldwide, now that's a lot of people who evidently were happy with Raiders Of The Lost Ark 2! And I gleefully count myself amongst that number. 9/10

Crystal Skull. I had a great time with it when I filed in to see it on opening day, and returned home and promptly reviewed it enthusiastically. Time has mellowed me a touch but I still maintain it's great fun and hardly deserving of the scorn some series fans pour on it. Rewatch and a review rewrite pencilled in for me. 

Laura.

Yeah, dames are always pulling a switch on you. 

Otto Preminger's wonderfully crafted mystery has become something of a big favourite of many people over the years, and rightly so. But just what is it that makes the film so watchable after all these years?

Sure the cast is solid, but I personally wouldn't say spectacular. Gene Tierney simmers and holds it together whilst Clifton Webb, Dana Andrews & Vincent Price are perfectly admirable in their roles as guys in drippy infatuation with Tierney's vibrant title character. 

Perhaps the success of the piece is with the screenplay? Adapted by at least "five" known writers from the novel by Vera Caspary, it is in truth delightfully bonkers! You have shades of necrophilia, potential gay suitors, and the girl the boys all court is dead, minus her face after a shotgun assault. Then there is the fact that Laura bends the conventions of the genres it can each sit in. Is it film noir, a who done it, a ghost story or just a plane old detective story? Does it matter? No, not really, because it's the ambiguity that is the films strength. As for Laura Hunt herself, well she's no femme fatale, in fact she's an ordinary woman, yet the men are in awe of her. It shouldn't work on the surface, but it does, very much so.

The film had something of a troubled shoot, hires and fires and jiggled endings were abound. Preminger was originally the producer for the film but was hired after Fox head honcho Darryl Zanuck fired Rouben Mamoulian. He in turn replaced cinematographer Lucian Ballard with Joseph LaShelle (who won the Academy Award for his efforts). Regardless, what we have with the finished product is a cheeky and often twisted tale of obsession. A film where one can never be sure what is actually going to develop, right up to, and including, the final denouement. 8/10